This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

Hardware includes all that computer stuffthe computer itself, with its
keyboard, monitor, mouse or trackball, and printer. Chances are you have all
that if you're reading this book. You don't need the world's
fanciest or most powerful computer to build scrapbooks. And you should know
how to make it perform common tasks such as copying, pasting, and saving your
work. If you're a real newcomer to the computer world, consider getting
a good book on your particular computer and operating system and working through
it before you start scrapbooking, or at least have such a book handy for reference
as you go along. The SamsTeach Yourself in 24 Hours series is
a good place to begin. It's not really important whether you use a Mac
or a PC. I prefer Macintosh for graphics myself, and you'll find that many
of the screen captures in this book have obviously been taken from a Mac, but
I have to admit that there's actually a better selection of scrapbooking
software available for the PC. Bottom line: Use whatever you have.

The Computer

Let's start here. At its most basic, a computer includes a box called a
CPU (Central Processing Unit, essentially the brain of the machine), a
monitor (a video display that lets you see what you're doing), and a
keyboard (to input text and commands). It can, however, be a lot more
than a "smart typewriter." By adding a mouse, trackball,
or graphics tablet with a stylus, you can begin to use the computer as a
writing and drawing tool. The mouse or trackball moves the pointer (or cursor)
around on the screen, so you can easily edit text, navigate the Internet, draw
and paint, and so on. Drawing with a trackball is very difficult, and using a
mouse isn't all that much better, so artists often have a graphics tablet
and stylus in addition to a keyboard and mouse. The plastic stylus acts and
feels like a pen, and is much easier to use than a mouse or trackball for
creating and editing artwork or touching up photographs. I strongly urge you to
try one at your local computer store and buy it if you like it. I wouldn't
use anything else now that I am used to the tablet. Wacom
(http://www.wacom.com) makes
high-quality tablets in various sizes.

Computers also need a way to get data in and out, and a place to keep it.
These functions are served by an internal and/or external hard drive and
some sort of disc reader/writer. Today most software comes on
CD-ROM and your computer likely has a built in CD-ROM drive. If not, or
if you want extra input, you can usually install another CD reader and writer.
You can also add bigger and faster hard drives for more data storage.